Bidirectional activity of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in vascular smooth muscle cells

Endogenous glucocorticoids (GC) can be metabolized through the enzyme 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-OHSD); in the rat, corticosterone (B) is converted to its inactive metabolite 11-dehydrocorticosterone (A). Since increased tissue concentrations of GCs may affect blood pressure by potentiating the vasoactive effects of alpha-adrenergic agonists and possibly other pressors, we studied the metabolism of corticosterone in freshly dissected aortae and cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Incubations were generally conducted for 60 min with 10(-8) M steroid; steroids were isolated and identified by HPLC. In aortic minces stripped of endothelium, the oxo-reductase reaction of A back to B was nearly 4 times greater than the dehydrogenase reaction of B to A (2.8 +/- 0.5 x 10(-11) versus 7.3 +/- 1.0 x 10(-12) mol/mg protein). This pattern was also seen in cultured VSMC during growth and quiescent states (growth A to B 3.2 +/- 0.4 x 10(-12) versus B to A 9.7 +/- 0.9 x 10(-13) mol/mg protein; quiescent A to B 8.8 +/- 0.1 x 10(-12) versus B to A 1.2 +/- 0.2 x 10(-12) mol/mg protein). Enzyme activity in either direction was less during growth, correlating with a decrease in mRNA for 11 beta-OHSD. In cell homogenates containing 200 microM NADP(H), the enzyme functioned equally in either direction at pH 7.4 with an apparent Km for corticosterone of approximately 2 x 10(-7) M. Carbenoxolone, an inhibitor of 11 beta-OHSD, suppressed the dehydrogenase reaction to a greater degree than the reverse oxo-reductase reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)